Ticket-holder.



N0. 806,985. I PATENTED DBG. 12, 1905. R. H. MALLORY.

TICKET HOLDER.

APPLIGATION FILED Muze. 1905.

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UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ."Dec, 12, 1905.

Application led May 26,1905. Serial No. 262,450.

To all whom, tm/ty concern:

Be it known that I, ROLAND H. MALLORY, a citizen of the United States, residing at 47 Lafayette Place, New York, in the county of New York and State ot' NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ticket-Holders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to produce holders for stacks of railway and ferry tickets, for example, the parts being so arranged that only one ticket can be extracted at a time. Such tickets are flexible and vary in thickness, and consequently I find it necessary in order to insure against withdrawing more than one at a time to provide mechanism for holding the tickets in such wise that all except the one to be withdrawn will be retained in the case.

My invention is a case for holding a stack of tickets provided with ticket-holding and arresting devices, provision being made for the withdrawal of only one ticket at a time.

In the drawings, Figure l is a top plan view of a case, showing my invention applied thereto, the cover being partially withdrawn. Fig. 2 is a transverse section of Fig. 1, the cover in this ligure being removed, the section being taken just back of the first' screw holding the spring-tongue 4 in place. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section of the case shown in Fig. l, the cover being removed and the section being on the line x fr. Fig. 4 shows in top plan another form of myinvention, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section of Fig. 4 just back of the end retaining-wall 17.

In the drawings, l is a rectangular case, and 2 its cover, (here shown in the form of a slide.) In that form of my invention illustrated in the drawings the inner walls of the two opposite sides of the case are grooved at 3 to receive the edges of the cover and to permit it to be slid into and out of place; but it will be obvious that the cover may be otherwise mounted, if desired. In the bottom of the case I mount a leaf-spring 4, the front free end of which is near the front or exit end of the case and presses upwardly toward the cover. Said spring is mounted midway between thc side walls of the case, and the upward pressure of the spring is exerted on the bottom of the stackwell toward the exit endoi' the case, so that the tickets are pushed upwardly at this point. It', as is frequently the case, but as is sometimes not the case, the tickets are sufliciently flexible, the upward pressure of the spring slightly bends the tickets longitudinally along their middle lines. In accordance with my invention the side edges or margins of the tickets are held downwardly on both sides of the free end of said spring 4 by some suitable means-as, for example, by the spring-prongs 5 on the front end of the cover. These prongs extend forwardly, one on one side and the other on the other side of said spring 4. The springprongs 5 5 press downwardly and hold the side edges of the ticket downwardly against the upward pressure ofthe free end of spring 4.

Consequently the tickets, if flexible enough,

are kept in a somewhat concavo-convex shape, the concave side being toward the bottom of the case. The main function of said prongs, however, is to slightly depress the topmost tickets in the stack at their points of contact with the marginal or side portions of the tickets for the purpose presently described and as shown by the dotted line 9 vin Fig.V 2. The upper surface of the front wall 2O of the case has in the construction shown a high middle part 6, over which the middle portion of the endwise-slidable topmost ticket moves when it is slid out by a wipe of the thumb, the thumb-space being conveniently formed lin the cover between the prongs 5 5 and over the front end of the upwardly-extending spring 4. In this form oi' my invention the end portions 8 8 of the upper surface of the front wall 20, adjacent to the side walls, is inclined transversely of the case to permit exit of the topmost ticket in the stack. This front wall, as shown, extends clear across the front end of the case; but the essential point of the construction of the end wall is, in order to reduce friction of the tickets thereon, to provide its inner face with the vertical inwardlyprojecting ribs or stack-retainers l0 l0, extending downwardly rom the top surface of the end wall, which is also formed, as stated, with the suitable inclines 8 8 to permit exit of the topmost ticket. The free ends of the spring-prongs 5 5 press downwardly on or substantially on the tops of the stack-retainers l0 l0, and the topmost ticket is slipped out from under the ends of' the prongs 5 5 and over the end wall by a wipe of the' thumb. The prongs 5 5, when the cover closes the case IOO and is therefore in its position, press the side margins of the tickets of the stack retainers or ribs l() IO downwardly, the topmost ticket in the stack being then in position at the top of said ribs to be easily slid over the top surfaces thereof and out from under the prongs 5 5. The lower tickets in the stack are arrested or held in place by the inner surfaces of the vertical stack retainers or ribs l0 lO, and that ticket which is directly under the topmost ticket in the stack is prevented by impact with the inner surface of the stack retainers or ribs lO l0, as indicated by the dotted line 9,Fig.2, from being slipped out. In consequence of the variation which almost invariably occurs in the thickness of the tickets great diiiculty has been heretofore experienced in making a ticket-holder in such wise that two or more tickets will not be occasionally moved out of the case. Of course this is objectionable, and my invention' is addressed to the construction of a ticket-holder which practically overcomes this objection or at least minimizes the liability of more than one ticket being slipped out by the removing movement of the thumb or finger. The cooperation of the stack retainers or ribs l() 10 with the upwardly-pressing central spring i and said spring-prongs 5 5 produce what may be called a yielding exit for the tickets in the stack. By having the ends of the prongs 5 5 rest on the tops or near the tops of the stack-retainers l0 l0 all the tickets in the stack are held in place, and the upward pressure of the free end of the spring 4, coupled with the wiping movement of the operator in removing the topmost ticket, lifts the free ends of the prongs sufficiently to permit the passage .Of the topmost ticket, while the downward pressure of the prongs 5 5 is sufficient to keep the neXt lower ticket in the stack below-the top of the stack retainers or ribs 10 10, and thus prevent the accidental removal of more than one ticket at a time.

In Fig. 4, showing another form of my invention, the prongs l5 l5 are much wider than in the form shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, and the end wall 2O has on each side of its middle high point 17 a fiat surface 16. The cover 2 may be applied in any desired manner.

It will be obvious to all skilled in the art that my invention may be embodied in other forms, if desired.

What I claim is- 1. The combination of a case with a cover therefor provided with a clear opening for direct access to a stack of tickets contained in the case; the case being formed with an end, stack-retaining wall over which a ticket may be drawn; and spring mechanism for depressing the side margins of the tickets near said retaining-wall.

2. The combination with a case having the top thereof provided with an opening for access to a stack of tickets contained therein,

and also provided with an end stack-retaining wall over which a ticket may be drawn; of means within the case for normally lifting the stack toward said opening; and means, coperating with the stack-lifting means, for depressing the top tickets at points below the retaining wall to prevent accidental withdrawal thereof.

3. The combination with a case having the top thereof provided with an opening for access to a stack of tickets contained therein, and also provided with an end retaining-wall over which a ticket may be drawn, said wall having a raised middle portion; of means within the case for bending the tickets longitudinally; and means for depressing the tickets at certain points below the retaining-wall on opposite sides of said middle portion, whereby a wipe of the thumb will carry the topmost bent ticket over said middle portion of the end wall with comparatively little friction.

4. The combination with a case having the top thereof provided with an opening for access to a stack of tickets contained therein, and also provided with an end retaining-wall having a raised middle portion, of means carried by the case for bending the tickets of the stack and for holding certain portions thereof below the retaining-wall.

5. The combination with a case having an opening for access to the topmost ticket of a stack of tickets contained therein; of means for depressing the margins of the tickets within the case; and Vertical stack-retaining walls one near one side and the other near the other side of the case.

6. The combinationwith a case, for holding a stack of tickets, provided with a retainingwall having a raised middle portion, of means for bending the tickets of the stack so that, as the topmost ticket is withdrawn from the case, its front end will be bent to substantially conform with the middle portion of the retainingwall, thus facilitating its passage over the latter.

7. The combination with a case, for holding a stack of tickets, having a retaining-wall and an opening for access to the tickets; of means for normally lifting the stack within the case; and means for depressing certain portions of the tickets of the stack below the retainingwall, whereby, though the wall will normally retain the stack, the topmost ticket can be drawn thereov'er by pressure.

8. The combination with a case having an opening for access to a stack of tickets contained therein; of a retaining-wall having ribs against which the tickets may rest; and means for yieldingly holding portions of the topmost ticketof the stack below the top of said ribs, whereby slight pressure may wipe the said' ticket over the ribs and retaining-wall.

9. The combination of a case having a thumb-space in one of its walls and a ticketexit at its front end; with vertical stack-re- IOO IIO

tainers at said front end and below said exit; In testimony whereof IaX my signature in an dinterior stack-lifting device near the'front presence of two witnesses.

en of the case an substantially in its central longitudinal line; and interior means oper- ROLAND H MALLORY' atively mounted near the sides of the case and Witnesses:

comprising parts that severally rest on the EDWARD S. BEACH,

upper surfaces of the stack-retainers. E. A. ALLEN. 

